This invention relates to an electrical connector for use in electric and electronic appliances such as mobile phones, and more particularly to an electrical connector with a structure for preventing a housing from being pushed when fitting with a mating connector.
An electrical connector hitherto used will be explained. The electrical connector comprises at least a plurality of contacts to be connected to a substrate, a housing for arranging and holding said contacts, and a shell having holding means for covering and holding said housing.
Said housing is fitted into said shell by press-fitting (with crush ribs) so as to be held in (fixed to) said shell, and when a mating connector is being fitted with the electrical connector, the mating connector is positioned by its abutment against said housing. As examples of electrical connectors, incorporated herein are three patent literatures: Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Application Opened No. 2003-288,967), Patent Literature 2 (Japanese Patent Application Opened No. H10-302,863/1998) and Patent Literature 3 (Japanese Patent Application Opened No. H11-26,105/1999) including applications proposed by the applicant of the present application.
Patent Literature 1
According to the abstract of the Japanese Patent Application Opened No. 2003-288,967, this invention has an object to provide a receptacle connector achieving its miniaturization by shortening its depth dimension and having a structure preventing foreign substances, dust, moisture and the like from entering the interior of the connector through its housing. Disclosed therein is a connector comprising a box-shaped insulating housing 10 having an insert end 11 to be inserted into the plug of a plug connector and a rear plate 12 formed at a location opposite to the insert end 11, a plurality of terminals 30 installed in the housing, a conductive metal shell 20 covering the housing, a plurality of inserting openings 17 provided in the bottom of the housing for inserting the respective terminals from the bottom into the housing when the respective terminals are installed into the housing, anchor portions 33 provided on the respective terminals for fixing the respective terminals to the housing, and a plurality of anchor grooves 18 formed in the housing for inserting the anchor portions of the respective terminals therein.
Patent Literature 2
According to the abstract of the Japanese Patent Application Opened No. H10-302,863/1998, this invention has an object to provide an electrical connector to be mounted on a circuit board, ensuring a wide space in front of the fitting portion of a mating electrical connector without decreasing the mounting area of the printed circuit board. Disclosed therein is an electrical connector 1 to be mounted on a circuit board, comprising an insulating housing 3 having a plurality of terminals 2 installed therein, and a metal shell 4 fitted on the housing 3 and having mounting legs 14a and 14b extending from the metal shell 4 for attaching the metal shell 4 to the printed circuit board 15, and the respective terminals 2 each having a tail 19 extending therefrom to a conductive circuit on the printed circuit board 15. The metal shell 4 forms a fitting portion 8 in front of the insulating housing 3 for receiving a mating electrical connector 21, and the fitting direction A of the fitting portion 8 is set to an upwardly inclined direction relative to the surface 15a of the printed circuit board 15 through the mounting legs 14a and 14b. 
Patent Literature 3
According to the abstract of the Japanese Patent Application Opened No. H11-26,105/1999, this invention has an object to provide an electrical connector 10 enabling stable contact pressure without contacts 14 being buckled, without the contacts 14 being raised from an insulator 12, without a shell 16 being deformed, and without being affected by noise effect even after the connector is repeatedly inserted into and removed from a mating connector 40 very many times. Disclosed therein is a connector comprising a shell 16 having on both sides in its width direction plate-shaped pieces 18 extending to the proximity of a fitting opening, the plate-shaped pieces 18 being provided in the proximity of their tips with fixing legs 20 extending in the same direction as fixing legs A30, and the plate-shaped pieces 18 on the side of the fixing legs 20 further being provided with anchoring portions 24, and further the shell 16 being provided with an engaging portions 22 at locations enabling the anchoring portions 24 to be fitted in the engaging portions 22, and an insulator 12 including a projection 50 having contact inserting grooves 52, on both sides of which protrusions 54 are provided, and in the proximity of the free end of the projection 50 a taper portion 56 being provided to be continuous with the protrusions 54.
Recently, as the electric and electronic appliances have been progressively miniaturized, the requirement for miniaturization of electrical connectors has become stronger.
A housing is frequently held (fixed) in a shell by press-fitting (with crush ribs) as described in the above paragraph of the prior art and as disclosed in the Patent Literatures 1 to 3. Moreover, with the miniaturization of the connectors, the interference (size of crush ribs) for press-fitting has become smaller. When an electrical connector and a mating connector are fitted with each other, positioning of one relative to the other is effected by the abutment of the mating connector against the housing of the electrical connector as described in the paragraph of the prior art. The contacts held in the housing are connected to a substrate by soldering.
With such a construction disclosed in the prior art, when the electrical connector is being fitted with the mating connector, the housing would be likely to move in the fitting direction of the mating connector (in the opposite direction of the fitting opening) by being pushed by the mating connector, thereby resulting in defective or failed connection between the electrical connector and the mating connector. This problem remains to be solved.